


Rule Number One: [River] Lies

by Rehearsal_Dweller



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-15
Updated: 2012-08-15
Packaged: 2017-11-12 05:19:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/487135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehearsal_Dweller/pseuds/Rehearsal_Dweller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>River Song has met people that perhaps she shouldn’t have.</p>
<p>Somehow, she can’t bring herself to care.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rule Number One: [River] Lies

When she met Rose Tyler, it took her a minute to realize who she was looking at.

She had just been visiting a small trading planet to pick up a few spare parts when they ran into each other.

“Is something wrong?” Rose asked when River dropped every thing she’d been holding.

River dropped to her knees and started gathering her things up. “No, nothing. You just reminded me of someone I, er, know.”

Rose helped her pick up the things she’d dropped. “Well, I’m Rose,” she said once they’d gathered everything, holding out her hand.

River had to fight the urge to respond  _‘I know.’_  Instead, she replied, “I’m Melody.” Introducing herself as River strayed too close to Spoilers - Rose was bound to mention running into a human with a strange name, if only in passing, to the Doctor.

“Rose!” a man’s voice called. River assumed it was the Doctor - after all, who else would be calling for Rose in English? “Where have you run off to?”

“I’m over here, Doctor!” Rose called back. “I was just talking to -“

River stayed just long enough to get a glimpse of the Doctor (she was fairly certain it was his ninth self) before pressing a button on her Vortex Manipulator and vanishing.

When she returned to her cell that night, River sat down on her bed.

_I just met Rose Tyler._

The Doctor - River’s Doctor - didn’t mention her often any more. River was fairly certain that he blocked a lot of the memories most of the time. Something about the way he’d lost her (which River had never yet been able to actually get out of him) had been particularly traumatic, and only followed by more emotional difficulty. Both times.

Sometimes River wondered if that would be  _her_  someday - the former Companion and friend that he’d lost in such a terrible way that he couldn’t talk about her anymore.

She heard the TARDIS materialize outside her cell.

“Hello, Sweetie,” she greeted, as always.

“Are you ready to go, River?” the Doctor ( _her_  Doctor) asked as he unlocked her door. “I’ve put an awful lot of thought into this date.”

“Well then, I won’t keep you waiting,” replied River.

“Have you done anything interesting since I saw you last?” inquired the Doctor.

“No,” River lied easily. Then she put all thoughts of Rose Tyler out of her head (along with all thoughts of being forgotten), and walked out of her cell and into the TARDIS. 

Sometimes River looks back on her brief meeting with Rose and wonders what happened to her. Sometimes she wonders what  **will**  happen to  _her._ Sometimes she wonders if she’ll ever get up the courage to ask the Doctor about Rose. And sometimes she just doesn’t care.


End file.
